Reef says, "When young children play army with their little plastic figures do they always put their men round a big table and say hey lets just sit here and be good nice people?" (1 reason)
N-lighter says, "I think there's more than one reason"-
Reef says, "A man creates a self sustaining ant farm and fills it with ants... the man decides to move house and build a brand new ant farm and leave the other one to its own devices?" (2 reasons)
N-lighter asks,"are the ants aware of the man when he put them there or left them as well?"
Reef says,"A film director creates a million robots with artifical intelligence, he then activates the robots after a week of work and proceeds to film all the events as they happen naturally?" (3 reasons)
N-lighter asks, "did the director program these robots to love or hate (have emotions?...that's different from intelligence)
Do you think these robots would engage in conversations that include ideas like...follow me to this side of the studio or your power supply will go dead forever? Is that what the director would expect to see since he created them? Could any of the events even be considered natural if as you claim...the director created them and gave them only artificial intelligence?
It seems to me that Man has always been using god (in some form) to exact power over other beings. When words, rituals, and compliance fails...Man resorts to violence. GOD(OH...so many Gods...close to 45, 000...www.adherents.com) was, is, and always will be man's creation...not vice-versa. But we're talking the Bible's God here. The difference in the OT god...the NT god...and the god we really want lies within us...our values...our feelings about life? That's why the NT upgrade after hundreds years of BS from the old "God's" ways.
We're long overdue for another upgrade. However, change is so hard to come by because those that make their claim to the ultimate power always, always,...always fight/kill/murder to keep control.
That's the way it is...mankind is the ultimate power here...on Earth (truth/reality)
But, we have come a long way and, I hope, will continue to improve.
Most humans that desire/need a god want the loving, wise, nurturing god (hence, the reason many early god's were godesses) manly leaders, in a testosterone driven rage took to destroying women "deities" to make theirs more powerful, fearful, and controlling (no leaving them to their devices here...can you deny that?)
Women, when questioning authoritarian and autocratic beliefs were often thought of as crazy, demonized, witches, etc. and were shown the only way mankind in those days knew how to deal with their intelligence. Hundreds of thousands were undesevedly murdered by these sanctimonious leaders.
(Yaro and others...caps are for emphasis...I'm not ranting...I swear it...not my style of purpose...just too darn old for that silliness)
They proved...MIGHT IS RIGHT AND YOU WILL DIE...THEN THEY PUT THE RESPONSIBILITY ON THE WILL OF THEIR GOD. CLEVER (perhaps evil)GUYS WOULDN'T YOU SAY?
For now... it's still obvious, might is might and for the victors...it makes them right (in their minds).
"If god can do anything?" (the question that started this post)there are only two answers.
Yes, God (he/she/whatever) can do anything?.........................
I suggest God get busy in serious quickness to show this world (as a whole) some love because too many of us (Earth's inhabitants) feel unconnected, unloved, and, to some extent, undeservingly falsely judged.
or
No, God (he/she/whatever) can't do anything?...I suggest Human beings get busy in serious quickness to show this world (as a whole) some love because too many of us(Earth's inhabitants) feel unconnected, unloved, and, to some extent, undeservingly falsely judged.
I HOPE OUR NEXT "GOD" TOUCHES EVERYONE AND BRINGS A NEW UNDERSTANDING TO THE FORE. MAYBE then CHILDREN WILL NOT WANT TO PLAY WAR ON THE TABLE.
[This message has been edited by N-lighter, 03-12-2004]